Shadow of Death
by Sagittarian
Summary: A tale of a broken man's search for something to give meaning to his life...


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(Disclaimer: All names and characters are property of Squaresoft, © 2000)

Shadow of Death

A Final Fantasy IX Story

There once was a beautiful creature that sought to prove its magnificence to the entire universe, to reign supreme, and relish it it's glory. He had everything: intelligence, charisma, beauty, charm, and ambition. Yet he was flawed. He could not bear the thought of weakness, believing that only the strong survive, and that the weak should be despised. His hatred of weakness proved to be his only weakness, one that led to his own downfall. And so, defeated and alone, a broken shell of a person, he tried to put the fragments of himself back together and start a new life. This is the story of Kuja, son of Terra, creation of Garland, lover and destroyer, angel and devil.

***

Climbing from the ruins of the abominable place once called the Iifa Tree, came the heartbroken lover, fallen angel, defeated champion. He was once called Kuja, a name given to him by his creator. A name he now despised. A person he was no more.

The man known as Kuja was no more. He was shattered, nothing more the shards of glass, each reflecting his many facades and personas, haunting reminders of his former glory. He had no name, no identity, no _life_. All that he had believed in the most had been a lie. He might have been better off dead. But somehow… he had managed to survive. Destroyed by those he despised the most, then given their sympathy, all his ideals had been turned against him. His own creation, or his being manufactured as one might say, served as catalyst to his belief that only the strong survive, and that the weak are worthless. It is this belief that truly destroyed him as his rival defeated him. His rival's sympathy was only salt on an open wound. He was devastated.

However, somewhere, lying in those broken fragments, lay the beauty, cunning, and charm that he once had. It was this part of himself that he needed to reclaim in order to find himself, and to start a new life. 

***

The harsh mid-day sun bore down upon the arid deserts of the Outer Continent with waves of torpidly ebbing heat. In the middle of the barren wastes, far from civilization, lay the decrepit, rotting, ruined remains of the soul-collecting machine known as the Iifa Tree. A place of evil and death, now silenced forever. Suddenly, from beneath the entanglements of gigantic roots and vines, crawled a beaten man, wearing tattered remnants of clothing and hurt badly. His long silver hair was dirty and disheveled. In his once shimmering iridescent blue eyes there was now only emptiness and immense suffering. Desperately climbing atop a vine thick as a redwood's trunk, he rested, visibly exhausted. He gazed despondently up at the bright sky, then winced from a sudden excruciating pain in his chest, like knives piercing his lungs. Suddenly, he was startled by the loud cry of a chocobo.

"WARK!"

"What the…" he murmured.

He was cut off as a chocobo suddenly leaped up upon the large vine below the one he was on. Riding atop it was a woman, lean and muscular, wearing worn and dirty armor, and carrying a long sword. She had long, dark hair, like ebony, and black, sparkling eyes. Although she appeared to be no more than thirty, in her face, and in her eyes, was a look only gained after years of hardship and experience. 

"Hello!" The woman cried out. "My name is Lavian. I am a traveling mercenary. What brings you to this forsaken place?"

"I…I fell here… after…"

"What? Are you hurt? What is your name?"

"My name is… my name…." The silver-haired man trailed off, gazing up at the sky with empty eyes. He turned to the woman.

"My name doesn't matter."

"Okay…fine. Well, you'd better let me take a look at those wounds." Lavian got off her mount and climbed up unto Kuja's vine with ease. Now that she was closer, Kuja noticed how beautiful she was, her ebon hair dancing in the wind, and her dark eyes glinting in the mid-day sun. 

She bent over him, inspecting the many bruises on his chest and stomach, and gently putting her hand on them. Kuja cringed from a sudden pang in his chest when she did this.

"Oh… I'm sorry. It seems that you've broken some ribs. There may be some more internal damage… I can't tell. We have to get you to a doctor. There may be someone that can help you in Madain Sari."

"No… just… leave me here. Don't… worry about me…"

"I'm sorry, but I just can't do that. You're injured, you need help. Now come, I'll help you onto the back of my chocobo."

Kuja felt like refusing her offer… but something inside of him longed for human interactions, for kindness, friendship, and love. And so, he complied, and the two rode off into the desert… 

  



End file.
